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Max Eisenhardt (Earth-616)
Real Name: Unknown Nickname/Epithet: The Master of Magnetism Former Aliases: Magnus, Erik Lehnsherr, Michael Xavier, The White King, The Grey King, White Pilgrim, Erik the Red, The Creator Current Alias: Erik Magnus Lehnsherr __TOC__ Status Occupation: Revolutionary and conqueror, former ruler of Genosha, formerly volunteer orderly, secret agent Legal Status: Criminal record in the United States, later overturned by the courts; still wanted internationally as an outlaw Identity: Secret Marital Status: Widower Group Affiliation: Currently None, formerly Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, X-Men, teacher of the New Mutants, Lords Cardinal of the Hellfire Club, leader of the Acolytes, employer of Mutant Force Base of Operations: Currently among the ruins of Genosha, formerly during House of M -- Castle Magnus in Genosha; previously the presidential palace of Genosha. Prior to that, various citadels and bases scattered throughout the world, including at least two in Antarctica. Also, the orbiting space-station Avalon; 3 incarnations of Asteroid M; an island in the Bermuda Triangle; Professor Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, Salem Center, Westchester County, New York Origin Origin: Magneto is a mutant, born with special powers into a Jewish family, sometime in the late 1920s. Place of Birth: Unrevealed, probably somewhere in Northern Europe. The evidence points to either Germany or Poland. Known Relatives: Magda (wife, deceased), Anya (daughter, deceased),Pietro Maximoff (aka Quicksilver, son), Wanda Maximoff (aka Scarlet Witch, daughter), Lorna Dane (aka Polaris, alleged daughter), Luna (granddaughter), Crystal (daughter-in-law), Vision ('son'-in-law), Joseph (Clone, Deceased), Talia Josephine “T.J.” Wagner (aka Nocturne, Alternate Reality Granddaughter), Thomas “Tommy” Shepherd (aka Speedster) and William “Billy” Kaplan (aka Asgardian ,Twin Grandsons), Anna Marie (aka Rogue, Alternate Reality Daughter-In-Law), Kurt Wagner (aka Nightcrawler, Alternate Reality Son-In-Law), Niles Styger (aka Abyss, Alternate Reality Son-In-Law). First Appearance: ''X-Men'' (Vol. 1) #1 History The man now known as Magnus spent his early teens imprisoned at the Nazi death camp in Auschwitz, Poland, after witnessing the brutal murder of his immediate family by the Nazis. While in Auschwitz, Magnus served in the Sonderkommando, the squad of Jewish men who helped their Nazi masters run the gas chambers, ovens, and fire pits of the camp. The only member of his family to survive the Holocaust, Magnus learned how brutally human beings could treat minorities whom they considered different. While in Auschwitz, Magnus met and fell in love with a gypsy or Roma girl named Magda. He saved her from the gas chambers, and then from execution as Auschwitz was being evacuated, and the two of them escaped together. For several years, Magnus and Magda lived in a Carpathian Mountain village, and eventually they were married. They had a daughter, Anya. Not satisfied with the simple life of a mountain village, Magnus moved his family to the then Soviet or Russian city of Vinnitsa, so he could better himself. On their very first day in the city, Magnus consciously used his powers for the first time. He magnetically hurled a crowbar at his boss who was cheating him of his pay. When he returned to the inn where he, Magda, and Anya were staying, he saw it was on fire, and his daughter Anya was trapped on the upper floors. He tried to use his new-found powers to save his daughter, but his boss had called the KGB, and they beat up Magnus and held him down, preventing him from rescuing Anya. The child fell burning to her death, in front of her father. Magnus then used his powers to destroy the men holding him, the crowd watching, and a large section of the city of Vinnitsa in revenge. Terrified by her husband's powers, overwhelmed by the tragedy, Magda fled as her husband called out to her to help him bury their child. She never revealed to him that she was pregnant. At some unspecified time later, soon after giving birth to twins, Wanda and Pietro, under the care of Bova on Wundergore Mountain, Magda wandered out into the snow, never to be seen again. Magnus at this point sought out a forger named Georg Odekirk, who was supposed to be amongst the best, and asked him to create a new identity for him, so he could hide from the KGB and search for Magda more easily amongst her own people. Odekirk created the false identity "Erik Lehnsherr the Sinte gypsy" for that purpose. Eventually Magnus went to Israel, possibly using the name "Erik Magnus." He worked there as a volunteer orderly at a psychiatric hospital for Holocaust victims. It was here he first met and became friends with Charles Xavier. Magnus and Xavier frequently debated the subject of mutants' coexistence with the rest of humanity. After the two men joined forces to rescue their friend Gabrielle Haller from Baron Strucker and his HYDRA agents, Magnus seized Hydra's Nazi gold, and left for parts unknown. For some time after, Magnus attempted to stay on the path of righteousness, and used his powers to help track Nazi war criminals. However, while working for one of the Western intelligence agencies (most likely the CIA or the British SIS or MI6), he was also working for Mossad, and instead of turning the Nazis over to his "control" government after he found them, he was giving them over to Israel for trial. It seems his "control" knew about Magneto's status as double-agent, and let him give the Nazi war criminals to Israel, as long as they were Nazis that the Soviet Union had optioned. But when Magneto captured and attempted to give Nazi Hans Richter (one of "our" Nazis) to Israel, agents from the unnamed Western intelligence agency decided to put an end to Magneto's activities. They murdered Magneto's girlfriend at the time, Isabelle, right in front of his eyes. In a rage, Magneto killed his "control" and cohorts, and vowed from that time on, he would be called "Magneto" and began planning his campaign against the human race. Years later Magneto reemerged in costume and helmet, determined to conquer the human race to prevent their oppression of mutants as the self-proclaimed savior of mutantkind. It is certain at this time, Magneto was in a psychotic and manic state, brought on by a combinaiton of factors, including the overuse of his immense powers. Xavier's original team of X-Men thwarted Magneto's first public move in his war with humanity, the takeover of the Cape Citadel missile base. When they next clashed, Magneto was leading his original Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, which included Wanda and Pietro, now known as the Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. Not until years later would Magneto learn that they were actually his children. At one point Magneto genetically engineered a being called Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, who rebelled against him and turned Magneto back into an infant. Xavier gave the baby into the care of his colleague geneticist Moira MacTaggart, who tried to alter his genetic structure so his brain -- his mind -- would be able to handle the enormous energies he controlled, and he wouldn't be driven insane again. She hoped, given time and the right upbringing, he would grow up to become a better man. However, not long after, the Shi'ar Davan Shakari, alias Erik the Red, returned Magneto to adulthood, albeit one younger than before. Magneto thereafter had a series of battles with Xavier's new team of X-Men. Due to the rapid re-aging of Magneto by Davan Shakari, his body had been healed of the damage he'd done to it, by the overuse and abuse of his powers. But his mind had taken longer to heal -- as the brain needs to rewire itself, and damage isn't easily repaired. So, after a brief time of more psychotic behavior, Magneto began to calm. He began to think about his past. He underwent a crisis of conscience, after almost killing a young Kitty Pryde, and abandoned his plans of world conquest. After joining the X-MEN to fight the Beyonder, he gave himself up for trial by the World Court. His old friend Gabrielle Haller was his defense attorney. The trial was disrupted by an attack of the Fenris, the twin children of Baron von Strucker. Xavier was almost killed. As Professor Xavier lay dying, the Shi'ar appeared to take him into outer space to be healed by Shi'ar science. At this point Xavier begged Magneto to take over for him, and be headmaster to the New Mutants. In time, though, Magneto's fears, insecurities, paranoia, and temperment slowly began to get the best of him. He at first joined the Hellfire Club as co-White King of the Inner Circle, at Storm's behest. But when she and the other X-Men appeared to die in Dallas, and the Mutant Registration Act was proposed by the U.S. government, he spent more and more of his time with the Hellfire Club. It is also possible that the White Queen, Emma Frost, was manipulating him. He joined Frost in a coup against Black King Sebastian Shaw, and declared himself "Grey King." But he did not stay with the Hellfire Club. He left the New Mutants so he could play villain again for the world, he would explain to Moira MacTaggart, so the world would focus on him as the highest profile mutant terrorist. He felt he could not be a substitute for Charles Xavier, that he could not adopt Xavier's methods, and that Xavier's way was not his way. He next appeared in the Savage Land. He and the X-Man Rogue for a time developed a close relationship, while fighting a crazed Zaladane, who had stolen the magnetic powers of both Polaris and then Magneto. Zaladane was defeated brutally by Magneto. Rogue left the Savage Land in tears as Magneto declared that he and she could not be on the same side. Shortly after, Magneto renewed his war with the human race and the X-Men, and gathered about him a new team of mutant underlings, the Acolytes, who virtually worshipped him. An attempt to counteract him with satellites was met with a powerful electromagnetic pulse-wave. Xavier and a select team of X-Men traveled to Magneto's orbiting Avalon base to confront him. During the battle, Magneto used his powers to extract the adamantium molecules from Wolverine's skeleton, causing him tremendous agony. Infuriated, Xavier used his mental powers to shut down Magneto's mind. For a time the Acolytes cared for Magneto at their orbiting base, but when it was destroyed, Magneto returned to Earth. Subsequently, an amnesiac man emerged who called himself Joseph, possessing powers over magnetism, and the appearance of Magneto if he were still in his twenties. He joined the X-Men, who believed him to be Magneto, somehow rejuvenated and reformed. Joseph himself came to believe he was Magneto, until the real Magneto reappeared and began his campaign of terror against the human race anew. It was at this time that Sabra, a mutant, Mossad agent, and member of Xavier's Underground, discovered that "Erik Lehnsherr the Gypsy" was a complete forgery, and she revealed this information to Gabrielle Haller. Sabra would declare a personal war against Magneto, whom she now regarded as a traitor to the human race, their mutant-kind, and their Jewish people. After building a huge machine at the north magnetic pole to destroy the magnetosphere of earth using his powers, Magneto's blackmail demand was met, and he was given rulership of the island nation of Genosha as a homeland for mutants. At this time, however, Magneto nearly lost his powers for unknown reasons. Magneto was met with armed resistence on Genosha. He used Fabian Cortez, and then Polaris, to augment his powers and was able to gain control of all parts of Genosha, after battling the Avengers, and destroying the city of Carrion Cove. Hidden in caves above Carrion Cove was a device that Magneto knew would restore his powers to dangerous levels, and he attacked his own children, Wanda and Pietro, who tried to stop him from using it. Once he accessed this genetic enhancer he regained his powers over the electromagnetic spectrum, but the overwhelming energies drove him psychotic and manic once again. After the Legacy Virus was cured, Magneto suddenly found himself with tens of thousands of healthy mutants on Genosha. He sought to raise an army from this mass of disaffected, recently cured mutants. Jean Grey formed an interim X-Men team that was barely able to stop him. Wolverine again struck a critical blow, gutting Magneto and reportedly severing his spine. Magneto, recovering and wheelchair bound, was attended to by Polaris. She had always had a Magneto-father fixation, and now she stole what she thought was a tissue sample of Magneto's, had it genetically cross-matched with a sample of her own, and discovered that she was actually Magneto's biological daughter. Whether this is true or not, remains to be seen; Magneto certainly needed her assistance, and he knew that she'd never leave him if she thought he was her biological father. As of now, Polaris or Lorna Dane, is considered Magneto's daughter. Magneto was still wheelchair-bound, and because he had been so seriously injured he could not effectively use his powers, when new mega Sentinels attacked Genosha. It appeared he was killed in the attack. While he was believed dead an impostor wreaked havoc in New York City. Unknown to the public, Magneto eventually found his way out of the rubble, and somehow survived until he was apparently contacted by Xavier. Magneto has no memory of what happened to him, from the time the mega Sentinels attacked, and Xavier contacted him. With the world thinking Magneto was dead, as Wolverine had beheaded the Magneto-imposter in New York, Xavier and Magneto decided to work together to help rebuild Genosha. Unfortunately, Magneto's daughter the Scarlet Witch lost her grip on reality, attacked her fellow Avengers, and a distraught and remorseful Magneto came to her aid after she was rendered unconscious by Dr. Strange. In the House of M, Magnus ruled the world from Genosha. But shortly, it ws revealed that Pietro Quicksilver had manipulated his insane sister into altering reality and creating the House of M universe. When Magneto found out, he attacked his son, Pietro, and nearly killed him. Wanda -- desperately depressed and dismayed by what her family had done, blamed her father for what Pietro and she had become, and altered reality once more, declaring "No More Mutants." At her command, the mutant population of earth has been decimated. As of now, Magneto has been left powerless as well as genetically non-mutant, a normal Sapiens-sapiens, along with most of the world's mutant population. The X-Men left him amidst the ruins of Genosha, a broken and shell-shocked man. When Quicksilver came to Genosha to restore the mutants' powers with the Inhumans' Terrigen Mists, Magneto condemned his actions, pointing out the disastrous effects the Mists had on non-Inhumans. The Mists increased the powers of the mutants who took them, killing Unus and leaving Callisto comatose. An angry Quicksilver attacked Magneto with his new powers from the Mists, savagely beating him until his daughter Luna begged him to stop. When the Inhumans later came looking for their Mists, Magneto told them what had happened. the Collective, a being comprised of energy from all the former mutants' powers, merges with an energy absorbing mutant named Michael. The Collective seemingly kills the current incarnation of Alpha Flight, and battles the New Avengers before landing in Genosha. There it repowers Magneto and reveals itself as Xorn. Xorn explains that he took the image of Magneto because he knew mutants would follow him, and that they needed the real Magneto again. Magneto, not in control of himself, begins attacking the New Avengers and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents while he pleads for them to kill him. He is taken down with a direct brain attack from mutant S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Daisy Johnson. Iron Man, Ms. Marvel and the Sentry combine their powers and send the Collective/Xorn into the sun. Michael is separated from the Collective. Magneto, unconscious, is loaded into a S.H.I.E.L.D. helicopter, but it explodes upon take-off; his body is not found among the rubble. Characteristics Height: 6' 2" Weight: 190 lbs (86 kg) Eyes: Blue-Grey Hair: Silver Unusual Features: Magneto has been literally rejuvenated by Alpha the Ultimate Mutant, so that despite his much greater chronological age, he appears still to be a relatively young man. Powers Known Powers: Arguably the most powerful man on the planet, Magneto's mutation grants him the power of electro-magnetokinesis. Magnetokinesis: Magneto can shape and manipulate electro-magnetic fields that exist naturally or artificially, allowing him to lift and move heavy objects, control ferrous particles in the atmosphere, and even alter the Earth's magnetic field. It is unclear, however, whether he must draw magnetic force from outside himself (if so, then he can do so over vast distances). As the Master of Magnetism, Magneto's powers are, for all practical purposes, limitless. Even before his rejuvenation, Magneto once lifted a cargo freighter weighing 30,000 tons 50 feet into the air from a distance of 300 feet away. He can lift, move, and alter objects (sometimes weighing many thousands of tons) through magnetic force, manipulate the iron-enriched blood-flow to one's brain to induce aneurysms or unconsciousness, control ferrous particles in the atmosphere, alter Earth's magnetic field which extends into space as the magnetosphere, greatly increase his own strength (to beyond the Class 100 level), erect electro-magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability, and achieve a wide range of other effects. Magneto can maintain total control of an entire planet's electromagnetic field and can manipulate it accordingly. Magneto can also use and absorb the powers of another mutant possessing the same powers as he does (i.e. Polaris). Magneto has used his magnetic abilities to extract the Adamantium bonded to Wolverine's skeleton, by manipulating it on a molecular level. With the primal force of nature at his command, Magneto has even stopped armies, raised islands from ocean floors, moved mountains and threatened to devastate the world with apocalyptic floods and earthquakes. Magneto once blanketed the entire globe with a self-generated electro-magnetic pulse that caused widespread devastation. *''Flight:'' Magneto is also capable of flight for very long distances and at varying speeds by repelling his body's natural polarity against another powerful source of magnetism. On Earth, he flies by repelling against the magnetic resonance of the planet's core. With his electro-magnetic force field active, he can attain flight in outer-space as well; using the magnetic fields of stars (usually the sun) as his point of polarity. *''Electro-magnetic Spectrum Manipulation:'' Although Magneto's primary power is magnetism, he seems to have some ability to project or manipulate any form of energy that is related to magnetism. He can fire bolts of electricity and create enough intense heat to destroy a metal door. Heat, or infrared radiation, is part of the electromagnetic spectrum, which also includes visible light, radio waves, ultraviolet light, gamma rays, and x-rays. Magneto can project any of these. (He has also dispersed a "flame cage" created by the original Human Torch, but whether he had simply expanded his personal force field or employed something else entirely is unclear.) In both Excalibur (vol. 3) and the possible future of X-Men: The End, Magneto uses his powers to create a traversable wormhole between two points in space. In addition, he can create anti-gravity fields, and does so whenever he levitates non-magnetic objects. However, Magneto almost always uses only magnetism since it is more difficult for him to manipulate other forms of energy. *''Electro-magnetic Sight: By concentrating Magneto can perceive the world around himself solely as patterns of magnetic and electrical energy. He can perceive the natural magnetic auras surrounding living beings, as well. *Magnetic Force-Fields:Magneto can erect electro-magnetic force fields with a high degree of impenetrability, protecting himself or others from almost any psionic, energy, or physical attack. He usually protects himself with a personal forcefield that he can quickly expand to protect large areas. His forcefield has withstood the affects of multiple nuclear weapons, volcanic eruption, the depths of space and attacks from multiple Avengers or X-men, as well as Phoenix, Thor, and even Galactus. It is possible he is absorbing or rechanneling the energy of these attacks, rather than simply blunting their impact. Magneto is intimately linked to the Earth's electro-magnetic field. As is it effected, so is he. He knows instinctively all that happens to it. The Earth lends him strength by virtue of it's existence. This connection seems to extend to others possessing similar powers such as Polaris. Magneto's ability to wield his superhuman powers effectively is dependent upon his physical condition. When severely injured, his body is unable to withstand the strain of manipulating great amounts of energy. When his powers are not at their peak, he also appears to have greater difficulty controlling forces other than magnetism. ''Charles Xavier referred to Magneto's "latent telepathy" and used Magneto's help to break past the mental shields of Galactus. It should also be noted that initially their attempts were futile until Magneto became enraged at the prospect that Galactus might ignore them, and thus created a "surge," as Xavier put it, that forced Galactus to take note of them. Magneto possesses some psychic abilities. Magneto has trained his mind extensively. Telepathy: capable of displaying various psionic feats with the minds of others including reading and communicating thoughts over vast distances. It is arguable whether Magneto in current continuity actually possesses Telepathic powers - they were first attributed to him early in the 60's run of Uncanny X-Men, and have later been ignored and likely retconned out of existence. *''Psionic Shield: possesses ability to create a mental barrier against psionic attack. Incarnations of Magneto from the Chris Claremont era onwards have moved this from a mutant power to an effect of his helmet. *Astral Projection: can project his astral form from his body onto astral planes or the physical planes. In the physical plane he can only travel in astral form over short distances. In the astral plane, he can mentally create psionic objects and manipulate the aspects of his environment. '''Known Abilities:' A mastermind, Magneto is a genius within various scientific fields. He is a medical doctor as well as an expert on genetic manipulation and engineering, with knowledge far beyond that of contemporary science. He can mutate humans in order to give them superhuman powers, instill genetic mind-control, create adult clones of human beings, and then manipulate the genetic structures of these clones during their development. He has designed magnetically-powered skycraft and spacecraft, complex robots and computers, and magnetically-powered generators. He has created artificial living beings, space stations (said to possess technology even Reed Richards would envy), and machines that nullify mutant powers within a radius of several miles. Magneto is a skilled strategist and has more than a rudimentary knowledge of hand-to-hand combat. Strength Level: Magneto possesses the normal human strength of a man his age (i.e., rejuvenated age), height, and build who engages in intensive regular exercise. Miscellaneous Equipment: Magneto's helmet is built to shield his mind from psychic probes and manipulation. Transportation: In the past Magneto has used a number of exotic aerial vehicles of his own design. He often flies by levitating his own costume, which is made of magnetic materials. Weapons: Magneto relies primarily on his own natural powers, although sometimes he has used magnetically-powered devices of his own design, such as his machine for inducing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions from afar. Magneto used to use mechanical devices for magnifying his own powers, but since his rejuvenation he no longer needs them. Appearances in Other Media * Magneto is played by Sir Ian McKellan in all three X-Men Films. It's also rumored that he will play him in the upcoming Magneto spinoff movie with the possibility of the same digital technology used to de-age him in X3 to be used there. Eric Lehnsherr is a Polish man who survived the brutal Auschwitz death camp during the Holocaust. It was here that he discovered his Mangetic powers. Magneto is also a former friend of Xavier's and helped him build the lower levels of the mansion until they had a falling out. Eric took the codename Magneto and founded the mutant terrorist group the Brotherhood of Mutants. In X1, Magneto plans on using a machine he build to change the leaders at the world summit on Ellis Island. He is stopped by the X-Men and jailed in a plastic prison. In X2, it is learned William Stryker build the prison and has been using a mind serum from his mutant son on Magneto to find out about Xavier's school and cerebro. Mystique helps him escape after finding his location on a computer (In the computer the name of Magneto's children, Wanda and Pietro, appear). She injects his prison guard with liquid iron, which he uses to break out. He and Mystique team up with the X-Men to stop Stryker from using cerebro to kill all the mutants in the world. Magneto manages to stop it but then reverses it to kill all humans which is stopped by the X-Men. In X3, Magneto is the most wanted fugitive in America. He build his Brotherhood into a huge army to wage war at Worthington Labs, where the cure is developed. He also discovers that Jean Grey is alive and confronts her with Xavier at her childhood house. He convinces her that Xavier has been controlling her which causes Jean to kill the Professor. She then joins Mangneto and his Brotherhood. Magneto goes to San Fransico, destroys the Golden Gate Bridge, and uses it to go to Alcatraz Island where the cure is. A battle ensures between the Brotherhood, the X-Men, and the Military. In the end, Magneto is cured by Beast and fleas the island as Jean Grey begins to destroy it. He is then seen in a park at San Fransico. He uses his hand and manages to slightly move a metal chess peice suggesting the cure is not permanent. *Magneto's voice was provided by David Hemblen in the animated television series X-Men and by Lorne Kennedy in the Capcom fighting games. His voice was provided by Christopher Judge in the animated television series X-Men: Evolution. *Magneto has also appeared in most of the X-Men video game spinoffs, usually as a boss and occasionally as a playable character. His most noticeable appearances are in X-Men: Children of the Atom and X-Men Legends (and its sequel) which has been released on various platforms. He is also a very popular character in Marvel vs. Capcom 2 due to his high mobility and speed. He is considered one of the top 4 characters in the game, placing him in the so-called "god tier", along with Storm, Cable and Sentinel. A capeless and non-helmeted version of Magneto was a playable character in the game, Marvel Nemesis: Rise of the Imperfects. In story mode, he is the last playable Marvel character in the game's story mode and like many Marvel heroes and villains in the story, is taken down by an Imperfect, Paragon, after she refuses his offer of an alliance. In X-Men Legends, Magneto is voiced by Tony Jay. And in X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse, Magneto was made the main playable character as part of the game's Brotherhood, which includes the Scarlet Witch, Toad and Juggernaut and is voiced by Richard Greene. Notes * Magneto is thought to be an Alpha-level mutant although it is arguable that he could be an Omega-level mutant. Related Articles * Professor X * Brotherhood of Evil Mutants * Scarlet Witch * Quicksilver See Also * Character Gallery Magneto External Links * References * Marvel Directory ---- Category:Characters Category:Male Characters Category:Living Characters Category:Bad Characters Category:Secret Identity Category:Mutant Characters Category:Silver Hair Category:Blue Eyes Category:Widowed Characters Category:Silver Age Category:Brotherhood members Category:Hellfire Club members Category:Acolytes members Category:Depowered Mutants